When the temperature dips, one of the greatest pleasures in life is to snuggle up in a warm bed. But with the colder temperatures, the bed sheets may not be so inviting.

Brandy of the blog Gluesticks came up with the idea of making these warm bed buddies. Using fleece, she sews cute characters that she know her children will like and then fills each with grains of rice. They can be heated in the microwave and then placed into your child's bed to keep things toasty. For complete directions, check out Gluesticks.

I made similar rice pillow warmers (though not nearly as cute!) for our kids when they were young. In addition to using them to warm up crib sheets, I would heat them gently and then place them inside the sleeping bag for the stroller. This kept the babies warm during long winter walks.

(Image:Brandy/Gluesticks)